KCH LITU RDB
Research type
Research Database
IRAS ID
330081
Contact name
William Bernal
Contact email
Research summary
Kings College Hospital Liver Intensive Therapy Unit Research Database
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
23/NI/0124
Date of REC Opinion
17 Oct 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
The database will bring together existing information relating to people treated at the Liver Intensive Therapy Unit (LITU). The LITU is a unique specialist Intensive Care Unit that has been in existence since 1973, and since opening has cared for a very large number of critically ill people with a wide variety of liver diseases. The data collected and stored will include details of the cause and nature of the peoples’ illnesses, how these illnesses were reflected in blood test results and the changes in physical condition such as blood pressure and heart rate, the treatments they received and the eventual outcome of their illnesses. Such data is available from very few centres world-wide, and because it treats illnesses that are very rarely seen in other hospitals, the analysis of data from the people treated at the LITU over 5 decades makes possible insights into care and what is best practice that would not be possible from any other source. The data will be stored securely and in a non-identifiable form within the Trust network and its use will be carefully regulated and closely monitored.
Research programme
The database will make possible new studies in important aspects of the care of critically ill people with liver disease, which will include: 1. Understanding the natural history of the conditions treated at the LITU, the changes seen over time and the effects of specific treatments. 2. Detailed statistical modelling to identify thresholds for the use of particular treatments including liver transplantation. 3. ‘Bench-marking’ the outcome for specific conditions, to allow comparison to be made over time and between treating units. We will develop a not for profit data resource that is principally for in-house use but will welcome application from other appropriate researchers / research organisations. Access to data will be considered by the data access committee (DAC) according to strict pre-specified criteria. These will include the relevance and importance of proposed study and previous track-record of similar collaboration. All data used for these analyses will be ‘de-identified’: no researcher will ever know the identity of the person from whose care the data has come from.
Research database title
Kings College Hospital Liver Intensive Therapy Unit Research Database
Establishment organisation
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Establishment organisation address
Denmark Hill
London SE5 9RS
Denmark Hill, London
SE25 9LH